as in classic
constituting, serving as, or worthy of being a pattern to be imitated
Helen of Troy was supposedly the quintessential beauty of the ancient world
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Recent Examples of quintessential
The ceremony hit on the quintessential northern Italian experience.
—
Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Instead, Lick-Wilmerding offers fall flag football, as part of a coalition of six schools in the area that formed a league to provide a safer (and cheaper) alternative to the quintessential American high school sport.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Overlooking the Prinsengracht and five minutes from the Anne Frank House and Jordaan neighborhood, the location is quintessential Amsterdam.
—Meredith Bethune, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Feb. 2026
On her arm is a patent leather hand-bag, and on her lobes are pearl earrings, the quintessential royal stone.
—Laura Scafati, Vanity Fair, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for quintessential
Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Instead, Lick-Wilmerding offers fall flag football, as part of a coalition of six schools in the area that formed a league to provide a safer (and cheaper) alternative to the quintessential American high school sport.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Overlooking the Prinsengracht and five minutes from the Anne Frank House and Jordaan neighborhood, the location is quintessential Amsterdam.
—Meredith Bethune, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Feb. 2026
On her arm is a patent leather hand-bag, and on her lobes are pearl earrings, the quintessential royal stone.
—Laura Scafati, Vanity Fair, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for quintessential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quintessential
Adjective
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The mini lamb chops are a classic treat for carnivores.—
Carlos Rico,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
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Culinary trends come and go, but a classic Martha Stewart recipe is forever.—
Jennifer Anderson,
Martha Stewart,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In addition to competitive awards, the DGA presented two special service honors recognizing exemplary contributions to the guild and the industry.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
8 Feb. 2026
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The restaurant also makes an exemplary version of hong mi chang, with sheets of red rice noodle rolled around youtiao that have been filled with shrimp paste.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Trailblazers remained perfect in the postseason by beating visiting Corona Centennial 59-54 on Wednesday in the pool play in the CIF-SS Open Division playoffs.—
Justin Vigil Zuniga,
Daily News,
19 Feb. 2026
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There’s enormous relief in letting go of the facade of perfect containment or the need to perform goodness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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As an archetypal centre-forward, Abraham ranks in the top 17 per cent of strikers from Europe’s top five leagues for touches in the opposition penalty area.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
27 Jan. 2026
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Agnifilo previously worked under archetypal celebrity defense lawyer Ben Brafman, whose clients have included accused Mafia bosses and Michael Jackson, and represented Shkreli and Dominique Strauss-Kahn alongside Brafman before starting his own firm.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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One physician shared that the tool found critical information buried in the records of a cancer patient, which helped a team including six pathologists to give a definitive diagnosis.—
Hilke Schellmann,
Scientific American,
17 Feb. 2026
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Here are the definitive recipes for timeless favorites like roast chicken, scalloped potatoes, Caesar salad, quiche, simple pan-seared salmon filets, fettuccine alfredo, plus some of Martha’s signature desserts like apple tarte tatin, New York cheesecake, and tangy lemon bars.—
Jennifer Anderson,
Martha Stewart,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Six solid to excellent major leaguers, two average ones and 11 busts.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
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Use Dryer Balls to Keep Sheets Separated Dryer balls are an excellent tool for combating tangled sheets.—
Anyssa Roberts,
The Spruce,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quintessential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quintessential. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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